The present invention relates to a cooling element for power electronic components.
Such cooling elements are usually made of metal, in particular of aluminum or copper, and comprise a volume in which a heat-exchange fluid circulates and whose two ends respectively constitute a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The walls defining the circulation volume can be provided with fins cooled by a natural or forced flow of air. The circulation volume can equally be fed with water or any other cooling liquid.
Power electronic modules are fixed to the metal cooling element, for example bolted to it. Other units enabling the electronic power component to operate correctly are also attached, for example starters, capacitors and one or more phase bars in the case of a phase inverter.
The cooling elements referred to above have a number of drawbacks, however. Most of the component parts of the power component must be electrically insulated from one another, leading to the use of complex mechanical assemblies. In the case of an inverter phase, insulating parts are used to fix the capacitors, starters, and phase bars, for example. The metal cooling element must also be kept away from live components.
The use of these mechanical assemblies therefore makes the whole of the power electronic component very complex, which contributes to increasing its cost. The overall volume and the weight of such power components are also relatively high.
The invention proposes to provide a cooling element which can alleviate the drawbacks of the prior art referred to above. To this end, it provides a cooling element for power electronic devices, in particular for phases inverter, the element comprising heat-exchange fluid inlet and outlet means and an interior volume in which the fluid circulates, characterized in that the cooling element is made from an electrically insulative material and comprises at least one opening connecting the internal volume to the exterior of the element, a perimeter of the at least one opening forming a seat receiving at least one base of the power electronic device to be cooled with sealing means between them.
According to other features of the invention:
the cooling element is made from a material that can be molded; PA1 the cooling element comprises two identical half-bodies assembled together; PA1 the cooling element includes a number of openings corresponding to the number of bases received on the element; PA1 the intermediate space between two openings which are adjacent in the fluid flow direction includes at least two passages extending in the fluid flow direction and separated by at least one rib on the cooling element; and PA1 the longitudinal axis of the rib is inclined to the fluid flow direction. PA1 each base received on the perimeter of the at least one opening is integral with one of the power modules; PA1 the base has fins extending in the fluid flow direction; PA1 the modules are fixed in pairs at corresponding openings disposed symmetrically with respect to the median plane of the cooling element and an insert is immobilized between the adjacent ends of the facing modules of each pair, or the end of a first module extends towards a second module facing it at or beyond the end of the latter; PA1 the power modules are fixed to the cooling element by a clamp on their face opposite the interior fluid circulation volume; PA1 the clamp is electrically conductive and is common to two power modules which are adjacent in the fluid flow direction; PA1 the cooling element comprises two half-bodies assembled together and the clamp member is fixed to the cooling element by fixing means which also fasten the two half-bodies together; and PA1 the base comprises at least one plate attached at least one of the openings of the cooling element.
The invention also provides a power electronic device, in particular a phase inverter, comprising a cooling element, a plurality of power modules fixed to the cooling element and complementary functions of the device, in particular starters, characterized in that the cooling element is a cooling element as described hereinabove.
According to other features of the invention: